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Galaxy Quest
Galaxy Quest was a television series created by Frank Ross that ran from 1979 to 1982. The series told the stories of the Interplanetary adventures of the Protector across the far reaches of the universe. The franchise has had a lasting impact on both science fiction and popular culture. Galaxy Quest Prod: David X. Machina History The original variation of Galaxy Quest featured the same cast and characters, but had a western setting and was called West Quest the pilot was filmed but studio researchers insisted that westerns were no longer popular. The show was then re-imagined as a naval drama called Navy Quest. However the studio was going into bankruptcy and they couldn't afford the high budget needed for a naval drama, but there was a significant number of props laying around from an older space movie, thus Galaxy Quest was born. This series ran for four seasons, and there were 92 episodes that were each an hour long. The series was cancelled after the airing of episode 92, ending on a cliffhanger. Episode 92 was never put into syndication and was nearly lost. Notable Episodes Episode 1: Blue Winds of the Moon This episode was the pilot for the series, and was filmed after the pilot for West Quest. This marks the first time that "By Grabthars Hammer" is spoken on screen. "By Grabthars Hammer" was originally "by Thor's hammer." but the owners of the Thor Baby Food Company of Trenton, New Guernsey threatened to sue. The line was later dubbed over by Alexander Dane saying Grabther. Episode 2: The Mystery of Stasis In this exciting second episode, the planet Stasis suddenly deviates from its orbit and is set to collide with the Ugonian asteroid belt (and apparently a planet within the belt). In a race to evacuate all life forms from the planet, the NSEA Protector is caught in a meteor shower from the outer ring of the asteroid belt. Disabled, they are forced to land on the planet for repairs where they find themselves in a planetary aura that compels them to tell only the truth. The Planet's society considers any talk of aliens blapshemy and our Heroes immediately come under fire. The crew must find a way to overcome the aura and the problems that it causes, make the necessary repairs and escape the planet before it is destroyed in the asteroid belt. Dr. Lazarus was absent from this episode, he was written out of the script to increase focus more clearly on the drama of Peter Quincy Taggart's conflict involving the truth aura. Lazarus's actor, Anthony Dane did not expect the show to take off(and it wouldn't quite yet), Dane would appear in 88 of the 92 episodes. Episode 5: Brain and Brain Episode 6: Assignment, Targathia This episode appears to be the first appearance of the Targathians. Episode 12: The Pupae Farm A mega space wasp captures the Protector and flies it to its home world nest. There it buries the ship and lays a multitude of eggs on the hull. Not wanting to become insect food, the Commander and crew device a way to kill the deadly insect and destroy its rapidly developing spawn. This episode mentioned, or at least touches upon Commander Taggart's history as a navigator about the NSEA Explorer, and how he was promoted to commander after he saved the entire Explorer crew in a deadly encounter with the asteroid beast of Numbus 9. At the time nobody realized the creature was actually a small child looking for his pet comet. Episode 13: The Bivrakium Element The episode begins with Commander Taggart bravely standing his ground against an alien army on the planet Peraxis 5, saving the life of his closest friend and advisor, Dr. Lazarus. As the smoke settles the episode takes a Rashomon-like turn with Dr. Lazarus, Commander Taggart, Lt. Madison, and Tech Sergeant Chen telling a court martial how they got engaged in battle with the aliens. This episode marks the first appearance of the Surface Pod in the series. The surface pod did not appear in the first few episodes because the cash-strapped studio simply couldn't afford to build the little ship for filming. That changed during when the Galactic: Ice Cream company offered to build the pod in exchange for the rights to use the design in a fleet of ice cream trucks. Not only did the show get a beautiful surface pod, but the cast and the crew got an unlimited supply of Galactic Ice Cream. The full-sized surface pod prop was originally built as a large booster section, and a small cockpit module. Just before the first use the prop was trucked to the Vasquez Rocks, the filming location for Episode 13, a sudden gust of wind tore the entire booster from the flatbed, shattering it onto the roadside. Only the cockpit remained, with no time or money to rebuild the wrecked section before filming the next day. Direct April Winter decided on the spot that the surface pod didn;t need a booster. Instead declared the pod was equipped with a "Hyperpulse thruster system" that happened to be small enough to fit under the pilots chair. Episode 15: Mists of Delos 5. : "Crewman Madison, the mist of this strange planet is filling my head with such thoughts." : ―Commander Peter Quincy Taggart : The crew of the Protector arrives at Delos 5 after another NSEA ship, the Trojan, is inexplicably moored on the surface of the planet. Soon after their arrival, crew members of the Protector start experiencing sudden passionate urges triggered by the sweet mist that mysteriously blankets the planet without warning. Just as quickly, the mist dissipates leaving many crew members in compromising situations. The Commander quickly realizes that the planet's passion-mist led to the grounding of the Trojan and the disappearance of its crew. While trying to avoid the same fate, Taggart is suddenly overcome with passion towards Lt. Madison. As they fall into each others arms and vanish into the mist, Taggart realizes that he can only save his crew by conquering his untamed libido. Showing tremendous strength Taggart overcomes Lt. Madison's flirtations and directs his ship away from the salacious planet. : This episode is often considered by fans to be one of Galaxy Quests finest hours, although some find the re-use of the protector sets to represent a ship exactly like the protector to be an unacceptable cost-cutting measure. : Episode 16: The Quasar Dilemma : At some point something called "a sentient" takes control of ship. When a deadly blast of radiation cripples the NSEA Protector, Commander Taggart is forced to choose between saving his crew and his promise to rescue a tribe of Mutant Space Slugs near the Galileo Quasar. : Time Knots were first mentioned in this episode, but they were not seen until Episode 92 - The Omega Crisis. Mostly because it took that long for the writers to decide what they really did. : Episode 17: The Lights of Aldea : Living energy crystals will kill Commander Taggart unless Dr. Lazarus can decode the shocking secret hidden in their light spectrum. But there's a catch, Lazarus is suffering from the Tev'Meck flu, which has made him color blind! : Episode 19: The Omega Mutiny : At some point in the episode a reactor fused, Tech Sergeant Chen used an element from Leopold Six to fix the quantum rockets. : Later at a convention, Fred Kwan was asked a technical question from a fan concerning the name of the element, and the blue sheath it was encased in. Fred Kwan proffessionally with no hesitation made up a name for the element Bivrakium, not knowing or forgetting that such an element already existed, and the blue sheath calling it a "bi-thermal Krevlite housing". This has since became Galaxy Quest Canon via companion novels. : Episode 22: Requiem of the Martians : The mythical Dust Giant of Phobos turns out to be all-too-real when the Protector tries to save the last survivor of an ancient race from the red planet, now Commander Taggart must conquer his allergies to face the angry Dust Giant in mortal combat. At some point, the creature's eyes are attacked. This episode is known to feature a sort of technology called "the tractor containment field." : Episode 23: Grabthar's Hammer : Episode 24: The Nascent Nebula : Episode 26: The Doomsday Equation : Somehow involves the Terrakian people, and their Slave Girls. The Terrakian people are well known for the beautiful slave girls that appear to occupy the lowest rung on the planets social ladder. In fact, the "slave" girls occupy the highest rung, controlling not only the planet's government, but commerce, and military policy. : Episode 31: The Kreemorian Strikes Back : First appearance of the Kreemorian Fangor Beast, unknown what role it played in the episode. The Kreemorian Fangor Beast was designed by GQ's award-winning makeup artist Dorothy B. Douglas. who was inspired by a pizza that was being delivered to her shop, only to be splattered against the windshield of the delivery van when the driver slammed on the brakes. :